This course traces the development of philosophical, religious and secular theories of peace from antiquity to the present. It explores questions of peace and justice, nonviolence, the idea of a “just war,” as well as notions of peace in international relations, economics, and psychology, examining how those spurred peace activism and the ideology of pacifism.

To that end, students analyze literary, visual, and organizational representations of peace across national and cultural boundaries and the emergence of peace and conflict studies as an academic discipline.